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Genotoxic stress and DNA repair in plants: emerging functions and tools for improving crop productivity

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Abstract

Crop productivity is strictly related to genome stability, an essential requisite for optimal plant growth/development. Genotoxic agents (e.g., chemical agents, radiations) can cause both chemical and structural damage to DNA. In some cases, they severely affect the integrity of plant genome by inducing base oxidation, which interferes with the basal processes of replication and transcription, eventually leading to cell death. The cell response to oxidative stress includes several DNA repair pathways, which are activated to remove the damaged bases and other lesions. Information concerning DNA repair in plants is still limited, although results from gene profiling and mutant analysis suggest possible differences in repair mechanisms between plants and other eukaryotes. The present review focuses on the base- and nucleotide excision repair (BER, NER) pathways, which operate according to the most common DNA repair rule (excision of damaged bases and replacement by the correct nucleotide), highlighting the most recent findings in plants. An update on DNA repair in organelles, chloroplasts and mitochondria is also provided. Finally, it is generally acknowledged that DNA repair plays a critical role during seed imbibition, preserving seed vigor. Despite this, only a limited number of studies, described here, dedicated to seeds are currently available.

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Abbreviations

At:

Arabidopsis thaliana

BER:

Base excision repair

8-oxo-dG:

7, 8-Dihydro-8-oxoguanine

DR:

Direct repair

DSBR:

Double-strand break repair

GGR:

Global genome repair

HR:

Homologous recombination

MMR:

Mismatch repair

Mt:

Medicago truncatula

NER:

Nucleotide excision repair

NHEJ:

Nonhomologous end joining

PEG:

Polyethylene glycol

QRT-PCR:

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

TCR:

Transcription coupled repair

Tdp:

Tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase

TFIIS:

Transcription elongation factor II-S

top1:

Gene encoding DNA topoisomerase I

topo I:

DNA topoisomerase I

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Fondo di Ateneo per la Ricerca, University of Pavia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Genetica e Microbiologia, via Ferrata 1, 27100, Pavia, Italy

    Alma Balestrazzi, Anca Macovei, Mattia Donà & Daniela Carbonera

  2. CRA-Centro di Ricerca per le Produzioni Foraggere e Lattiero-Casearie, viale Piacenza 29, 26900, Lodi, Italy

    Massimo Confalonieri

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  1. Alma Balestrazzi
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Correspondence to Alma Balestrazzi.

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Communicated by R. Reski.

A contribution to the Special Issue: Plant Biotechnology in Support of the Millennium Development Goals.

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Balestrazzi, A., Confalonieri, M., Macovei, A. et al. Genotoxic stress and DNA repair in plants: emerging functions and tools for improving crop productivity. Plant Cell Rep 30, 287–295 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-010-0975-9

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